Yesterday the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against DACA, siding with U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s earlier ruling that the policy is unlawful. 

Hanen now will review the legality of the Biden administration’s efforts to codify DACA into administrative law, the substance of which closely resembles the current policy. The odds Hanen will find it unlawful are very high. 

In the meantime, some 600,000 current DACA recipients and their employers and schools remain in ever greater limbo. Millions of others whose applications aren’t allowed to be processed, or who do not qualify, remain stuck. 

"I can’t plan to get married, to have kids because I don’t know where I’m going to be when my DACA card expires," Elizabeth Rodriguez, 30, told ABC News. "So that’s the importance of having some sort of legal change ... The only thing that I’m missing is that one piece of paper."  

"The ruling further solidifies the reality that Congress must provide certainty in the form of a permanent legislative solution that would allow Dreamers to stay and work in the country long-term," our policy VP Laurence Benenson said last night. And don’t miss the powerful words from more than 1,000 evangelical Christians from every state, as well as law enforcement, national security experts and a broad coalition of mostly moderate and conservative immigration advocates.  

As our board member Deacon Mark Prosser, Chief of Staff and Director of Pastoral Planning for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City wrote in an exquisitely timed op-ed in the Sioux City Journal, "It is my prayer that this […] court decision will be the nudge lawmakers need to pass a bipartisan solution."  

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Forum Daily. Sincere apologies for misspelling the name of Columbus Dispatch reporter Danae King in our Tuesday edition, and here again is the story she co-reported. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].  

LABOR SOLUTIONS — Agriculture leaders and lawmakers in Pennsylvania continue to call on the U.S. Senate to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would help address dire labor shortages, reports Alyssa Kratz of FOX43. "We’re having issues over the years hiring domestic workers and it’s not a reliable source of labor for the dairy industry," said Lisa Graybeal, owner of Graywood Farms. Added Alan Jones, president of Manor View Farm: "By having a reliable, seasonal workforce, it allows farmers to be more efficient and could help bring down the cost of agricultural products." Meanwhile, Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation and a native Wisconsinite, writes on Madison.com about his industry’s need for ag reforms. We’ve been pushing for a reliable, legal workforce for American farmers and ranchers too. 

BORDER MANAGEMENT — A new Decision Desk HQ/NewsNation poll shows that Americans believe legal immigration channels, in addition to barriers and funding for better border security, can address unauthorized immigration, reports Mary Hall of NewsNation. Experts note that a combination of short- and long-term solutions would help the Biden administration manage the border better. One example: an improved asylum system, which could reduce the number of migrants living in limbo while their cases are processed. If you ask me, solutions for Dreamers, ranchers and farmworkers, and TPS recipients sure would make a nice grouping with border and asylum reforms.  

PAROLEE CHALLENGES — This month, the U.S. will stop accepting applications for humanitarian parole to focus the government’s resources on permanent visas, Desiree D’lorio reports for WSHU and The American Homefront Project. The news comes as recently resettled Afghans are already facing bureaucratic challenges in the U.S. "I have served the Americans in Afghanistan, and I would love to serve the Americans in this country, too," an Afghan evacuee identified named Abdul said. He has failed to meet State Department requirements to earn a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) twice, but the Afghan Adjustment Act could give evacuees already in the U.S. options beyond parole or SIV status after further vetting. Meanwhile, a CEO group with leaders of 36 big companies is collaborating with the nonprofit Welcome.US to support Afghan and Ukrainian families seeking asylum, per Randall Lane of Forbes. 

Locally: 

• "Now my family is in peace, there’s no fear of anything," said Edris Akbari, whose family of four has settled in Kentucky, thanks to primary support from the International Center of Owensboro. Akbari, a former journalist in Afghanistan, is now the main point of contact and support for Afghans in his community. (Josh Kelly, The Owensboro Times)
• With financial support from Eastbrook Church, ten Afghan women who were college students studying in Bangladesh are now attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s intensive English program. (Megan Carpenter, Spectrum News 1) 

VIOLATED PROTOCOLS — A new study from the DHS Office of the Inspector General shows that temporary holding centers along the border in Del Rio have violated migrant detention protocols, reports Elizabeth Trovall of the Houston Chronicle. Migrants were held in overcrowded facilities beyond the federal maximum period allowed, with some denied showers and others unable to access interpreters. 

BEFORE YOU GO — A couple other "quick bites" for your radar: 

• Our policy expert Danilo Zak is out with his usual savvy thread on official refugee resettlement data for September and fiscal year 2022.  
• The Biden administration is considering whether to pursue immigration reforms, involving a policy push after the midterms, depending on "the makeup of Congress and the political climate," reports a team at NBC News. 

Thanks for reading, 

Dan